PHOENIX — GEO Group, Inc. discriminated against female prison employees by subjecting them to physical and verbal harassment and retaliation, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit. GEO operates and manages two prison facilities in Florence, Ariz., where the EEOC said the sex discrimination occurred.
According to the suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, CIV2:10-cv-02088 MHM, Alice Hancock and a class of female employees were sexually harassed at the Arizona State Prison-Florence West Facility and the Central Arizona Correctional Facility in Florence, Ariz.; both entities were managed by GEO under contract with the Arizona Department of Corrections.
The physical sexual harassment alleged included an incident where a male GEO manager grabbed and pinched the breasts and crotch of a female correctional officer. The suit also claims that at least one female employee was forced onto a desk, where a male GEO employee shoved apart her legs and kissed her. The complaint further charged that the female employees were subjected to retaliation when they reported or otherwise sought help from GEO management.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, protects workers from discrimination based upon gender, including sexual harassment. The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement. The lawsuit seeks lost wages and compensatory and punitive damages for the harassment victims, as well as appropriate injunctive relief to prevent discriminatory practices in the future.
A similar suit has already been filed by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, the agency that conducted the administrative investigation in this case. The EEOC is authorized by statute to obtain compensatory and punitive damages that are not available under Arizona state law.
GEO is a multi-national provider of government-outsourced services specializing in the management of correctional, detention and mental health and residential facilities in North America, Australia, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
No one should be harassed, and then punished because they asked for respect. Alot happens at that place.
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